Ouroborous
by NooShoak
Summary: A lone Hunter travels across the Northern Spiral Arm of the Galaxy, but he'd rather keeps the secret of his origin just that. When events occur which threaten to reveal where he really came from, will he be able to fly free, or will he be forever shackled to his creators?


A/N: Hello, I've returned to Fanfiction with a new short story. I hope you enjoy. This same story has been on my DeviantArt page for some time now, so I'm adding it here as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own Metroid, I only enjoy writing stories.

* * *

Ouroboros

The fluid within the tank drained away, and the lab's security personnel swarmed in, grabbing the specimen. He struggled to break free, to bring his claws to bear against them, but there were too many. One of them managed to slip a syringe of sedative between the subject's scales. The chemical agent went to work quickly, reducing its victim to a floating, semi-conscious haze. The personnel dragged the specimen to a gurney, and wheeled him into a surgical suite. The doctors approached, carrying with them a device to be used on the subject. They began their work, opening an incision at the base of the skull, carefully cutting through to access their patient's brainstem. They opened the sterilized case, containing a highly complex, valuable, and rather insidious piece of technology. The patient was forced to lie on the table helplessly as the doctors installed the control circuit in his head, knowing that soon he would be nothing but a puppet…

* * *

I awoke with a start, sitting up in my bed. I blinked, clearing the sleep from my eyes. Glancing around, I saw I was aboard my ship, and everything was as I had left it when I lay down to rest. The deceleration reverberated through the ship's frame as it dropped to sub-light speed and I heard the gentle hum of the power core. I slid out of bed, and stared into the mirror. There, I saw the same familiar face: my long angular snout covered in dark purple, almost black scales, straight horns, and emerald eyes staring back at me. I slipped on my interface suit and headed down to the cockpit, tail trailing behind me.

My ship was an old decommissioned Draco class exploration vessel, originally manufactured by the Drakus Rexus on their home planet of Abbec in the Mellos system, located in the moderately fashionable Northern Spiral Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. She was a hardy vessel, despite her age and the fact that she might as well be held together with bailing wire and duct tape. When I found her destined for the scrapheap, I put every last credit I had into putting her back together. Recycled plasma cells, surplus shield generators, and a second-hand FTL drive helped get the ship operational again. Normally a vessel of this class would require several people to operate it, but I had a way of solving that issue.

"Ah good, you're up," said T3-D, my shipboard A.I., "we're nearly to Archus Station. I've already pinged the NAC comms buoy".

"Good to know, Ted," I said, "take us in".

"Acknowledged," said T3-D, "course laid in".

Archus Station: the gateway between the territory of varied species of the Northern Arm Coalition and the wider Galaxy. Originally, the station had been intended as a shipyard as well as a rest stop for trading and patrol ships to get patched up and let their crews relax before continuing their journeys. However, its proximity to several important colonies turned Archus into a major crossroads for any travelling through the area. The additional income had turned the station into a strategic location for the NAC, and a great bazaar for merchants from all corners of the galaxy. New sectors were added to the station as needed, including residential, recreation, commercial, biodome complexes, and military infrastructure.

My ship rounded the gas giant and the station came into view. As T3-D guided us closer, we received a handshake signal from the station.

"Armed vessel, please identify yourselves and state your intentions," ordered the flight controller.

"This is the Gunship Draco 10, registered to independent Bounty Hunter Ouroboros," I said, "Here for refueling and resupply. Transmitting ID code".

"One moment," said the fight controller, "your identification has been confirmed. You have been cleared for landing bay 5, slip Theta".

"Acknowledged, Landing bay 5, slip Theta," I said.

I brought the ship in, and as soon as we were in range the automated docking control took over. Once the ship was securely docked, I prepared to head out, putting on a jacket which fit my physiology. Given the variability in the sentient species of the galaxy, it's not hard to find clothing for those with wings. I disembarked, heading out into the station proper. It was… pleasant visiting a place so diverse, as for once I could at least somewhat blend into the crowd. I glanced up at the sculpture in the main plaza. It depicts the member races of the NAC, in particular the commanding officers of the First Expeditionary Fleet, who set out to explore the stars when the galaxy seemed like a much bigger place. As I made my way along, no one really gave me a second glance, and soon enough I arrived at an out of the way diner to get a bite to eat before I would take flight again.

Inside, I looked around at the other patrons, They ranged from long haul freight pilots, to off duty soldiers, to even the occasional slightly lost tourist. They were largely from the NAC member races, such as the avian Phoenix people, and the Drakkus Rexus, who resemble therapods of Earth's prehistoric past. I even spotted the occasional human who'd made the journey this far from Sol. Each was engaged in their own business, letting me have my peace. I listened in on the gossip of my fellow patrons, hearing the news of interest: continued escalation of border tensions around the Galactic Core region, debates over the morality of uplifting new species, and discussions of the most recent sports event… overall, nothing really new. That was when the news came on with a special report.

" _This just in!"_ said the news broadcaster, _"The NAC Archeological Society has announced a new expedition to explore the ruins of the ancient Drynax civilization. Their spokesperson has reported that they have found evidence that planet LF-395 may have been a major outpost for their civilization. More details will be provided as the expedition continues"._

This caught my attention. I remembered those ruins well from when I… a chill ran down my spine. What might they discover if they made their way into other sections of those caverns? I needed to go there make sure my secret didn't get out.

A short time later, I was ready to leave, and headed back to my ship, setting course for an uninhabited system. Once beyond the control range of Archus, I finalized the input for my next destination. The Starlight class FTL drive sparked to life and carried my ship to a system on the farthest verge of the galactic arm. A short while later, the Draco 10 dropped back into normal space in a barely charted system which was marked as Zeta Draconis. I took over manual flight controls, and laid a course for the planet LF-395. As I maneuvered further into the system, T3-D chimed in.

"Well, we've arrived," said T3-D, "are you sure you want to come back to this place? While you were resting earlier, I noted a significant increase in your stress levels".

"Don't worry about it, Ted," I said, "It was nothing but a bad dream".

"It was about… _that_ again, wasn't it?" asked T3-D, "if it still troubles you so, we can still turn back".

I rubbed the old surgical scar on the back of my neck nervously, and replied, "No, I have to do this, to put the past… put this place behind me, once and for all,"

LF-395, a now largely dead world that was once, untold centuries ago, home to the now extinct Drynax people. One theory states that the explorations of the Drynax are what inspired the omnipresent legends of 'dragons' throughout the galaxy. Others dispute this, but the idea still stands. Deep beneath the planet's surface, buried by time and tectonic activity, lay the ruins of their once great space faring civilization. I brought the Draco 10 in to land, equipped my combat skin and beam cannon, and disembarked onto the planet's surface. I made my way across the landing site, the loose cobbles covering the surface gently crunching under my feet.

I soon reached an unassuming cave entrance, but I knew better. I moved deeper in, dropping down to the bottom of a short shaft. There, I headed to what appeared to be a natural crevice in the wall, reached in, and flipped the hidden switch. The wall slid aside, and the hatch behind cycled open with a tortured squeal. I headed through, entering the ruins of the lab facility beyond, and started making my way down the old emergency escape shaft. I spread my wings and glided down the remnants of the crumbled stairs. At the bottom, I headed through another hatch, this one jammed permanently open. I arrived facing the shattered remnants of the tank which once held the organic supercomputer that had maintained this facility.

I continued along, heading deeper into the facility and soon coming to my first destination. It was a biological research lab just off the main corridor, proudly labeled as 'Project Ouroboros: Specimen S Biolab'. I headed inside, ignoring the darkened monitors and broken equipment. My true destination lay in the back room of the lab: a small chamber containing a glass-walled specimen tank. Like everything else in the lab, it was now nonfunctional, but this held a particular meaning for me, as the embossed tag of the tank clearly read: 'Specimen S'.

"So this is what you've come to find," said a voice.

I spun towards my unexpected guest, bringing my beam cannon to bear. My guard dropped a notch when I saw who it was. Standing there was Captain Tyron of the Drakkus Rexus, descendant of (and named after) Admiral Tyron of the First Expeditionary Fleet. I'd had the honor of working with him in the past, as he was one of the military liaisons for Bounty Hunters like me. I'd found he was one of the most honest and trustworthy people I'd ever had met. He was fully kitted out in a set of Exploration and Mobility Gear, complete with a thruster pack and hard light hologram generators.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same question," said Tyron, "but I was tasked with escorting the archeological team to examine the Drynax ruins. I picked up your signal, and was intrigued".

"Just… putting the past behind me," I said.

"This is the place, isn't it? The place you come from," said Tyron.

I placed my hand against the glass of the tank, and sighed. There was no reason to lie to him… he seemed to already be putting the pieces together.

"It's true, I'm a product of this place," I said, "a vat-grown monster made by the Space Pirates to be a weapon".

"I'm going to guess that state of this place is currently in is your handiwork?" asked Tyron.

"It is. I had to shut down the main AI to get out of this place," I said, "some sort of kill code that was part of the implant that used to be on my brainstem. Needless to say, the A.I. didn't go down without a fight".

"From what I've seen of this place, it's for the best," said Tyron, "I'm not going to ask what happened to the other specimens".

In my mind images of the others, my cousins in blood, flashed by. Those who had fully given themselves to our creators' will. Their blood was on my hands.

"Well, since you're here, you might as well come with me," I said, "there's something I need to do before I leave, hopefully once and for all".

"You know this place better than me," said Tyron, "lead on".

We left the biolab and continued down the corridor, descending into the natural cavern network beneath the surface. We wound our way deeper, passing other lab entrances before reaching the elevator shaft down to the next area. We descended, arriving in the Magmacore level, home to geothermal power stations, more labs, and our destination. We came to the door, where I set my beam cannon to plasma mode and activated the focusing tip, condensing the beam into a cutting torch. I aimed and fired, tracing a line through the metal of the hatch. Eventually, I completed my task and bashed the now loose panel out of the way. We stepped through, arriving in a chamber filled with server banks and a functional access terminal. I approached the terminal, pulled out a memory card, and inserted it into an available slot. The contents of the card uploaded to the servers, resulting in a message to appear on screen.

/ _Warning malignant data detected._

 _Security protocols compromised._

 _Syst.. malf…_

 _Err.. d$ta corr^ption Critical._

 _Backup data deleted. All research data lost. OS data integrity compromised. Final shutdown initiated/_

The lights of each server dimmed and shut down… hopefully forever.

"It's done," I said, "now no one should be able to recreate the atrocities that happened here".

"Good to know," said Tyron, "are you ready to go?"

"I think so," I said with a sigh, "so what happens now?"

"What do you mean?" asked Tyron.

"I know the laws," I said, "Bioweapons are illegal in NAC territory. You've seen this place, you know what they were doing here. What do you think I was created to be? According to the laws of your people, you have to detain me for analysis and destruction".

"That's the thing," said Tyron, "in truth, we've suspected your origins ever since you showed up out of nowhere after the incident here. The NAC has been keeping an eye on your actions, just like we do with anyone doing bounty work in our little corner of the galaxy".

"I see," I said cautiously, "go on".

"Earlier, you called yourself a monster," said Tyron, "but you and I both know, as do the NAC councilors, that this is not the truth. You have proven this through your own actions in the operations you have completed. You have shown yourself to possess a good heart, as well as something a 'monster' would lack: a strong sense of morality. I couldn't take you in on any charges, because you did nothing wrong. Yes, you were created by scientists in a lab, but that's not who you are. That is decided through you actions and inactions, your interactions with others".

"That's… good to hear," I said.

"You know, I've seen the ruins that lie below this facility," said Tyron, "I've seen the depictions of the Drynax… are you aware you bear a striking resemblance to them?"

"I am," I said, "I learned this when I managed to find my way into the ruins during my escape. I'm still a bit uncertain what all they put into me. Though I severely doubt they could find a viable sample of their DNA, my resemblance to the Drynax is one of the reasons I chose the alias I did".

"It's fitting… Ouroboros, the serpent that bites its own tail, an ancient symbol for the concept infinity," said Tyron, "Anyway, you're free to go. I hope we get the chance to work together again in the future".

I nodded and left the computer room. I made my way back to the elevator shaft, and climbed to the upper caverns, before making my way back to the exit shaft behind the AI chamber. I climbed up this shaft as well and exited onto the surface of LF-395. I made my way across the landing site and entered my ship.

A voice from the radio sang out, completing the last verse of Octavarium, a long, winding song from early 21st century Earth.

"Really," I sighed, "you didn't have anything else to do while I was down there?"

"Hey, there's only so many times you can recheck the systems before it becomes dull," said T3-D, "besides, I thought you like Dream Theater".

"Well, you have a point there," I said, "I've done what I need to. Let's get going".

"Sounds good to me," said T3-D, "You have a few potential job offers waiting for you".

I took my seat and looked through the messages. Soon, I found one that interested me: someone was needed to deal with a suspected smuggler base in a disputed region. Intervention by military forces would likely spark war, but the actions of a independent party would not.

"Let's try this one," I said.

"Of course," said T3-D, "calculating optimal course".

A familiar hum sounded as the engines powered up for atmospheric transit. The acceleration pushed me into my seat as afternoon skies turned to the blackness of space. Once free of the planet's gravity, the ship reoriented for the jump, and accelerated towards our next destination.


End file.
